Folding table with leg actuator



April 24, 1951 L. H. WIRSIG 2,550,179

FOLDING TABLE WITH LEG ACTUATOR Fi led March 16, 1948 2 Sheets-Shet 1 MEL Leafl Wif'g g (Ittorneg L. H. WIRSIG FOLDING TABLE WITH LEG ACTUATOR April 24, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 16, 1948 Zhwentor Lea/ A W Patented Apr. 24, 1951 ;UNIT'ED STATES PATENT OFFICIE FOLDING WITH LEG ACTUATOR 7 Leo H. Wirsig, Deepwater, Mo. v l Application March 16, 1948, Serial No. 15,210

This invention relates to portable folding tables in which the legs can be folded into parallelism and close to the underside of the table top for convenience in Storage, the chief object of the invention being to produce a construction in which the legs are interconnected so that movelegs to open or close, respectively, after said springs have been tensioned and pass center in relation to their end mountings.

Another object of the invention is'to produce a construction of the general nature described in which the operating mechanism is made to provide a housing or cover for most of the moving parts so that when the underside of the table is viewed, either in open or closed positions, the greater part of the operating mechanism is entirely hidden from view and is protected against interference in storage.

With the general objects named in view, and others as will hereinafter appear, th invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may befully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a bottom plan view of the table With the legs in open or operative position.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the table with the legs in closed or folded position.

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the operative housing mechanism for each leg as it appears when designed to cooperate with cross braces on the underside of the table top.

Figure 4 is an inverted side elevation of the leg operating mechanism in cooperative relation to one of the diagonal braces to illustrate the extension of the brace toward the adjacent table corner.

Figure 5 is a fragmental side elevation to disclose the position on a leg brace or operating connection when the leg is in open or operative position.

Figure 6 is a section through one of the guides secured to the underside of the table top to prevent sagging of one of the links connecting adjacent table less, said guide being illustrated as 3 Claims. (Cl. 31182) V equipped with a frictional lock to engage a dement imparted to one leg will be imparted to all pression or hole in the operating link.

Figure 7 is a view of the operating mechanism as it will appear when secured to the underside of a table not equipped with the cross or diagonal braces shown in Figure 4.

Referring now to the drawings in detail where like reference characters identify corresponding parts in all of the figures, I is a table top of plywood or any other desired material, said top being preferably provided with a downwardly extending peripheral flange 2 of width at least equal to the thickness of the legs so that when the legs are folded they are enclosed within the flanges or frame and there are no projecting parts to interfere wtih convenient storage or shipment.

Pivoted to the underside of the table and adapted to swing in the same relative direction, are four table legs 3, each of said legs carrying a pivoted operating and brace rod 4. The braces 4 impart movement to swing the legs to open or closed position, and in addition thereto, retain the legs in position as will hereinafter appear. V In the table shown, primarily in Figures 1, 2 and 3, a pair of diagonal braces 5 are secured to the underside of the table. The ends of the braces are formed with cut-outs or recesses receiving U-shaped clips 6, one leg of each clip resting flatly against and secured to the table bottom, and the other leg having a side flange 1 which overlaps and is secured to one side face of the end of its diagonal brace 5. With this arrangement of parts the clips 6 form extensions or continuations of the braces 5 toward the corners of the table and assist in stiffening or reinforcing the table top. As an alternative construction the arrangement shown in Figure may be used. In this construction, the U-clip 8 is not formed with the side flange 1, but is secured directly to the bottom of the table top'by rivets or screws 9.

Pivoted at 9a between the ends of the spaced legs of each of the mounting clips 6 or 8, are the spaced ends or legs of U-shaped bell crank levers 10 formed of sheet material bent along one edge to provide a housing or operating space as will hereinafter appear. Pivoted to each of the outer or bent corners of the crank levers I 0 and extending to adjacent corners of adjacent crank levers I 0 and paralleling the margin of the table, are link rods H which may be tubular or solid, as preferred. The link rods l l form a chain or interconnecting means between all of the legs, and one end of each brace rod 4 is pivoted to one of said link rods II as shown.

Mounted to swing within the operating space between the legs of the clips 6 or 8, and the spaced parallel sides or legs of the levers w, are springs l2, each spring being connected at one end to its clip 6 or 8, as shown at I2a in Figure 3, and at its other end to the closed or bent edge of the sheet metal lever members ID, as shown at 12?) in Figure 3. With this arrangement it will be noted that the springs [2 are substantially, housed and that by swinging to either side of the pivotal points 9a, they retain the table legs in'either open or closed positions depending p h rection of movement.

In some cases; it may be the underside of the table with guides or retainers to hold the rods ll against sagging and thus relieve the crank levers H) of some of the load. To accomplish this result L-shaped blocks I3 are secured to the underside of the table in such location as not to interfere with the brace rods 4,'and to underlie said rods H as shown. Where it is thought desirable to provide the legs with locks to assist springs 12 in holding the legs open or closed, depressions or holes I4 may be made in the link rods H for engagement with springadvanced button or ball plungers in acabinet catch as shown inFigure 6. i a

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a construction embodying all of the features of advantage set forth as desirable, and while I have described and illustrated the preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that I reserve the right to all changes within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a folding table the combination of four U-shaped outwardly facing clips equi-spaced apart and secured to the underside of the table, U-shaped levers having their leg extremities each pivoted to one leg of the U-shaped clips, a series of four link rods pivotally connecting adjacent ends of the U-shaped levers, guide blocks nonmovably secured to the underside of the table and underlying and supporting each of said rods at a point intermediate its length, four table legs pivoted to the underside of the table, leg-operating connections between each leg and one of the connecting rods, and a plurality of retractile means each secured at one end to a U-shaped clip and at the other end to one of the U-shaped levers and adapted to swing in the space between the legs of the U-shaped clips and levers from one side to the other of the lever pivotal points to desirable to provide 4 apply force holding the legs in their open or closed positions.

2. In a folding table the combination of four U-shaped outwardly facing clips equi-spaced apart and secured to the underside of the table, U-shaped levers having their leg extremities each pivoted to one leg of. the U-shaped clips, a series of four link rods pivotally connecting adjacent ends of the U-shaped levers, guide blocks nonmovably secured to the underside of the table and underlying and supporting each of said rods at an intermediate point in its length, spring-advanced frictional locks carried by the guide blocks in engagement with the underside of the rods,

four table legs pivoted to the underside of the table, leg-operating connections between each le and one of the connecting rods, and a pluralit of retractile means each secured at one end to a U-shaped clip and at the other end to one of the U-shaped levers and adapted to swing in the space between the legs of the U-shap-ed clips and levers from one side to the other of the lever pivotal points to apply force holding the legs in open or closed positions.

3. In a folding table the combination offour U-shaped outwardly facing clips equi-spaced apart and secured to the underside of the table, U-shaped levers having their leg extremities each pivoted to one leg of the U-shaped clips, a series of four link rods pivotally connecting adjacent ends of the U-shaped levers, four table legs pivoted to the underside of the table, leg-operating connections between each leg and one of the connecting rods, and a plurality of retractile means each secured at one end to a U-shaped clip and at the other end to'one of the U-shaped levers and adapted to swing in the space between the legs of the U-shaped clips and levers from one side to the other of the lever pivotal points to apply force holding the legs in their open or closed positions.

LEO H. WIRSIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,901,105 Kovats Mar. 14, 1933 1,951,884 Seward Mar. 20, 1934 2,122,846 Senft July 5, 1938 2,280,586 Kiefi Apr. 21, 1942 

